BBC – Taxi technology: Why catching a cab will never be the same

The days when people phoned for a taxi or simply hailed one on the street may be coming to an end. Technology is revolutionising the way we catch a cab with a ride now just a click away through mobile phone apps like like Uber, Lyft, Sidecar, Instantcab and Flywheel.

Many of these services are part of the so-called “sharing economy” in which car owners offer to drive strangers in exchange for a “donation”.

California has just become the first state in the US to regulate ride-sharing, a move that has angered traditional taxi drivers.

Alastair Leithead spent a day in Los Angeles exploring some of the new ways of getting around.

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We understand the extent to which behavioural change in transport habits and practices can be facilitated through the creation of a new form of ‘transport network’, based on extending social networking principles to transport users.